Is Fraser Forster entering a Saintly redemption arc?

Sarah Winterburn
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The sight of Fraser Forster training with Southampton this week has sparked something of a debate amongst fans on the south coast. Is it possible that he could become the Saints’ number one once again – almost three years after he lost his status?

Forster’s gigantic frame threatened to be dwarfed by the beaming grin that stretched across his face in footage posted to the club’s social media channels this week. It’s perhaps a little facetious to reduce the complexities of a player’s emotions down to whether he’s smiling in carefully selected training images, but Arsenal fans’ obsessive antics this week have reminded us all that overthinking is commonplace amongst football fans.

The England international was taken out of the Saints team – and replaced by Alex McCarthy – in December 2017 following a string of poor performances that culminated in a 5-2 thrashing to Tottenham at Wembley.

Under former manager Ronald Koeman, Forster had initially thrived and his giant frame allowed for some momentous displays of shot-stopping as Saints managed seventh and sixth-place finishes under the now-Barcelona manager. However, his size often belied a timid approach to leaving his line and claiming crosses to take pressure off of his defenders.

On loan at former club Celtic last season, Forster regained some much-needed confidence and was particularly impressive in their League Cup final victory, conjuring some of the superhuman stops that earned him such praise in his early Saints career.

We all love a good comeback story and this may prove the opportune moment for a redemption arc. While Saints finished the restarted Premier League season in good form, high-profile mistakes like McCarthy’s in the defeat to Arsenal cast doubts over his number one status – whilst understudy Angus Gunn has not seen league action since seeing nine goals fly past him in 90 minutes.

Celtic boss Neil Lennon was visibly irritated when asked about Forster’s desire to stay at Southampton and fight for his place this season, rather than return to the Hoops and win the coveted, but almost-guaranteed 10-in-a-row. “We’re disappointed with the Fraser issue. [Staying at Southampton] is the player’s prerogative [but] we were led to believe something else.”

There has been much talk lately of the various methods of juggling talented keepers. Manchester United have raised eyebrows by awarding Dean Henderson a bumper new contract and implying he’ll battle it out with the £375,000 a week David De Gea for their number one spot. Other managers prefer a more clearly defined hierarchy, such as Jose Mourinho and Tottenham snapping up Joe Hart to deputise for Hugo Lloris.

A trio of talented goalkeepers isn’t an ideal – or a very common – situation for a club to find itself. Gunn, highly rated during his time in Manchester City’s academy, is still only 24 and has plenty of room for development as a goalkeeper. If pre-season establishes a pecking order that sees the England U-21 player firmly third choice, then perhaps a loan move would be best.

It cannot be sensible to have Forster – amongst the club’s highest earners and pointedly unwanted last summer – kicking about in the reserves. The unconvincing nature of both McCarthy and Gunn’s seasons might just give the gentle giant another chance between the sticks as the Saints look to find a more settled defensive unit this season. What a story that would be.

Connor Spake – follow him on Twitter

F365 Says Fraser Forster